An opposed-drive disc drive module includes a plurality of disc drives arranged in a pair of stacks that face each other in an opposed configuration. Each disc drive has a disc tray that can receive and support one or more selected discs during operation of the module. A disc robot is positioned between the stacks to periodically load and unload the discs into or out of the disc drives. It is often necessary for multiple discs to be temporarily held by a single disc tray during disc handling (e.g., loading and unloading). In conventional opposed-drive disc drive modules, the disc tray is supported during disc handling operations by a support arm that extends linearly from an opposed disc drive. While the support arm is extended, the opposed disc drive is unable to read or write. Accordingly, there is need for a tray support mechanism that allows disc drives to read and write data while supporting an extended disc tray.
The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed embodiments. Further, the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be expanded or reduced to help improve the understanding of the embodiments. Moreover, while the disclosed technology is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the embodiments described. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims.